Sid Smith of the Charlotte Area Hotel Association said third parties are booking rooms by the block and then selling them for a much higher price.

Hotels have a policy to sell no more than three rooms to one person to prevent people from having control over so many rooms, but Smith said the so-called room block raiders may call back under another name or they get a friend or an accomplice to call in.

The Better Business Bureau says there's nothing it can do, adding that the practice is not against the law.